JUAN GONZALEZ: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was freed from custody in London yesterday after a High Court ruled he could be released on bail. Assange spent the past nine days in solitary confinement after his arrest last week on an international warrant to face sex crimes allegations in Sweden. Assange is staying at a country mansion where he will be subject to the curfew, an electronic tag to monitor his movements, as well as being required to report to the police every day. He was released after securing more than $300,000 in bail. He emerged from the London courthouse late yesterday to cheers from a crowd of supporters waiting outside.

JULIAN ASSANGE: Well, it’s great to smell fresh air of London again. First, some thank yous: to all the people around the world who have had faith in me, who have supported my team while I’ve been away; to my lawyers, who have put up a brave and ultimately successful fight; to our sureties and people who provided money, in the face of great difficulty and aversion; and to members of the press, who were not all taken in and considered to look deeper in their work; and, I guess, finally, to the British justice system itself, where, if justice is not always an outcome, at least it is not dead yet.

During my time in solitary confinement in the bottom of a Victorian prison, I had time to reflect on the conditions of those people around the world also in solitary confinement, also on remand, in conditions that are more difficult than those faced by me. Those people also need your attention and support.

And with that, I hope to continue my work and continue to protest my innocence in this matter and to reveal, as we get it — which we have not yet — the evidence from these allegations. Thank you.

JUAN GONZALEZ: That was WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaking last night in London.